Retail turnover in Germany declined during September 2026 on a calendar- and seasonally-adjusted basis, falling 2.0% in real terms and 1.5% in nominal terms when compared against August 2026, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office, known as Destatis. Measured against the same month of the previous year, September 2025, real turnover decreased by 2.3%, whereas nominal turnover rose by 1.2%.
For August 2026, the retail turnover figures were revised following updated reports. The month-on-month change from July 2026 was adjusted to a real increase of 1.2%, shifting down slightly from the provisional figure of 1.3%, while the nominal increase was adjusted to 1.6% from the previously reported 1.7%. Compared to August 2025, the revised August 2026 data showed a real decline of 0.3% and a nominal increase of 2.8%.
Sector-specific results within retail showed varied performances in September 2026. The real calendar- and seasonally-adjusted turnover for filling stations dropped by 3.4% from the preceding month, while nominal turnover for the same category rose by 2.1%. On an annual basis, filling station turnover fell by 9.3% in real terms compared to September 2025, but grew by 16.2% in nominal terms. Turnover figures for filling stations encompass both fuel sales and shop transactions.
Food retail turnover experienced a real month-on-month decrease of 1.4% and a nominal decline of 1.1% in September 2026. Compared to September 2025, food retail sales dropped by 1.1% in real terms and by 0.5% in nominal terms. Meanwhile, the non-food retail sector recorded a real month-on-month drop of 2.4% and a nominal fall of 1.9% in September. Against the previous year's corresponding month, non-food turnover decreased by 2.8% in real terms, while registering a nominal increase of 1.7%.
In the internet and mail-order business, turnover decreased by 2.2% in real terms and 2.0% in nominal terms from August to September 2026. In a year-on-year comparison with September 2025, online and mail-order retail expanded by 4.4% in real terms and by 5.7% in nominal terms.
Methodological updates accompanied the September 2026 release, as the reporting sample of legal retail entities was replaced by a new sample. This new sample has been applied retroactively starting from January 2026. To maintain comparability across the transition, existing index time series are advanced using paired change rates from the new sample, which can introduce revisions to figures published since January 2026. Destatis notes that short-term economic trends are monitored primarily through calendar- and seasonally-adjusted month-on-month comparisons, whereas year-on-year comparisons provide a longer-term level assessment independent of seasonal and calendar effects. Preliminary results are typically published 30 days following the end of a reporting month, with updates provided in GENESIS-Online after 45 days.
